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03/12/25
About the role
The PR Account Director we are looking for will ideally have at least 5 years of previous agency experience and have a thirst for knowledge, being able to stretch across various, often complex subject matters. From climate justice, ethical finance, and nature and biodiversity campaigns to health awareness and education, human rights and democracy, social justice and tech for good campaigns.
From UK-focused PR campaigns to global, multi-stakeholder integrated campaigns, working with our global partners, spokespeople and case studies. You should be able to adeptly handle 3-5 clients at any one time, building client trust based on first-class results. Plus, help support new business wins.
You should have experience leading global integrated campaigns, and taking complex, technical topics and translating them for a consumer audience.
Ideally (but not essential), you will have an interest in UK politics and global affairs, with experience in political and policy PR.
You’ll be passionate about storytelling and able to shape and land stories in compelling ways - from thought leadership and opinion editorials to podcasts. You’ll have a healthy black book of contacts consisting of international, national and specialist/trade media.
As a senior member of the business, you’ll be adept at nurturing talent and knowledge sharing and inspiring teams you work with.
What you’ll do
This role gives you experience working on a broad range of projects with some of the world’s most innovative non-profits. Some of the areas you’ll work and train in are:
- Global media relations: You'll manage media relations and cultivate strong personal connections with journalists, bloggers, and influencers across international media. You’ll stay abreast of the global media landscape and political events, and use all of this to generate story ideas daily.
- Craft media stories: The stories are not always right in front of us. You will be reading through assets such as academic research reports, polling data, or case studies, as well as doing your own research and creative ideation to build out a story. You will turn this into beautifully crafted press releases, pitches, quotes, and media briefings.
- Drive campaign execution and manage projects end-to-end: You'll be the key driver in coordinating and executing client campaigns (e.g., sell-ins, launches, press trips, events) to a high standard. You'll take full responsibility for project timelines and deadlines, implementing and improving task and time management processes.
- Work in an integrated way with other parts of the agency: We rarely work on pure PR projects - most often, we work collaboratively across teams to bring cutting-edge digital strategy, public affairs and media work together to shift public and political opinion. You’ll be up for stretching and learning across all communications disciplines, while bringing PR skills to the table.
- Support strategic campaigns development: While you will always have a senior on your accounts, there will be lots of room for you to be part of the strategy creation at the beginning of campaigns, and throughout the execution. Gathering and distilling insights, including through audience research, polling, focus groups and social listening, will help you to track trends, decode public sentiment, and craft winning strategies that cut through the noise.
- Mentor and guide junior team members: You'll manage your team and resources, providing mentorship and guidance to junior staff and ensuring, e.g. the consistent high quality of their written copy through practice, guidance, and editing.
- Foster client relationships: You’ll play a key role in building strong, positive relationships with clients through confident account handling and consistent, high-quality delivery. You’ll provide regular updates, help ensure KPIs are met through smart proactive and reactive strategies, and keep projects on time and budget. You’ll be supported by experienced team leads and senior PR colleagues who will work closely with you to shape strategic direction and provide guidance when needed, ensuring you have the backing to make sound judgment calls and grow into a trusted PR advisor to your clients.
Curious about the kinds of organisations you’ll be working with? Check out the case studies on our website for an idea: https://89up.org/our-work
What we're looking for
What we’re looking for…
Your core responsibilities will be:
- Act as the senior contact for clients and their teams, ensuring consistent, high-quality service and outcomes
- Lead and manage a portfolio of accounts, providing strategic and creative leadership
- Develop account teams, including Account Executives, Senior Account Executives and Account Managers
- Ability to work on integrated accounts across teams
- Win new business from existing and new clients and represent the agency at stakeholder events
- Oversee PR campaigns from brief to delivery, ensuring innovation, creativity and strategic alignment
- Ensure campaigns are delivered on time, within budget and ensure KPIs are met or exceeded
- Manage account resources, manage PR teams, and, where needed, coordinate integrated teams, and coordinate with global agencies
- Maintain and grow a strong network of media contacts, demonstrating mastery of media relations
- Analyse PR outcomes, interpret data and present findings to boards, clients and stakeholders
- Deliver exceptional written, verbal and presentation communication across all contexts
- Mentor, train and support the professional development of team members, identifying training needs and managing performance reviews
- Grow existing client accounts while supporting new business development and agency growth
- Network, pitch and champion the agency’s values and brand to nurture contacts and pipelines
- Ensure the highest level of client experience, often as the most senior contact for key accounts
- Required Skills
- Excellent standard of written English.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with the wider team during pitches and presentations
- Cool and calm when working under pressure, and able to anticipate and solve problems
- Ability to produce work to a high standard quickly and professionally with excellent attention to detail, and high levels of initiative
- Line management and mentoring experience
- Integrated communications and campaigning experience (e.g. digital, web, public affairs, research and insights)
Additional Skills for Bonus Points
- Experience working on a global account, and/or with non-UK-based clients, would be beneficial
- Knowledge of LMIC media markets and institutions is desirable
This is a role that will allow you to explore your strengths in a multi-disciplinary, integrated communications environment. You will experience exposure to senior team members (experts in a variety of fields who are on hand to offer masterclasses and mentoring), opportunities (especially within the integrated marketing mix - so you learn about other specialisms and try your hand at them), creativity and content creation (with a flat structure, everyone ideas are valued), and clients and client management. All of these things will enable you to hone your talent, while broadening your skill set and fast-tracking your career progression, in a passionate, supportive and friendly environment.
We're offering
- Hybrid working with 3 office days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday as core days. You may need to come into the office on Mondays and Fridays for important meetings)
- 24 days holiday (a max of 4 days are taken for closure over Christmas, plus you receive an additional day off on your birthday)
- A competitive base salary with performance-linked discretionary bonuses twice yearly
- Enhanced maternity/paternity pay
- Pension company contributions
- Gold-plated sickness benefits and life insurance
- Private GP, private counselling, eyecare vouchers, wellbeing service
- Cycle-to-work scheme
- A commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Clear career progression pathways and opportunities to develop in a fast-growth agency
- Formal mentoring and training schemes to support your success
- A dynamic work environment where your contributions are heard and counted, not lost in the noise and tangle of a large corporate business
This is an opportunity to work on some of the most pressing issues of our time, with people who are committed to making a difference. If you’re passionate about politics, media, digital strategy, and driving change, we want to hear from you.
If you are interested in this opportunity please send a CV and cover letter to REJ @ [email protected] - applications sent without a cover letter will not be considered
Job Title: PR Account Director
Salary: £50-59K (dependent on experience)
Location: Angel
Basic Hours of Work: 40 hours per week (Mon-Fri 9am to 6pm)
About
89up is the global agency for charities, nonprofits and foundations. We campaign for great causes, tackle complex problems and inspire people to take action.
89up was founded with a clear mission: to create a powerful integrated communications agency for the world’s most important causes. In the last ten years, we’ve become one of the Financial Times 1,000 fastest-growing companies in Europe, three times, and won awards for some of the biggest non-profit campaigns around the world.
89up is a fully integrated global communications agency delivering PR, creative, websites, advocacy, insights and mobilisation. We are a fully integrated communications agency with four main teams:
- Our Web team builds innovative websites and bespoke advocacy tools to engage consumers and decision-makers.
- Our Studio team crafts beautiful content including graphic design, animation and live action video
- Our Advocacy, Insights and Mobilisation team delivers data-driven insights for impactful strategies to mobilise audiences
- Our PR team makes sure our campaigns make the headlines.
From freeing political prisoners to taking on the banks who fund the climate crisis, to EU campaigns against fossil fuels to PR campaigns for the world’s biggest charities, to global challenges that excite people to make change, make a difference in your career at 89up.
Apply
Related case studies
Protecting British pubs
Advocacy & politics / Social content creation and toolkits
/ Digital marketing & influencers / Digital marketing advertising and message testing / Campaign strategy
British Beer & Pub Association
Launching a coalition to protect crucial habitats
Campaign strategy / Coalition building / Websites for campaigns / CRM and digital tool integrations / Strategy
Protecting the Nature Restoration Law
EU public affairs / Public relations / PR for good causes / Campaign strategy / Advocacy & politics
The team
Sarah Jane Rumford
Managing Partner
PR Director
Valerie Oladeinde
Associate Director
Public relations
Saskia Kerkvliet
Senior Account Director
Public relations
Sambhaviy Kumaresan
Account Manager
Public relations
Yiannis Baboulias
Account Manager
Public relations
Nancy Collins-Burgess
Senior Account Manager
Public relations
Khalif Anuar
Account Executive
Public relations
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89up ranked top ESG communications agency by PR Week
In the latest PR Week Top 150 ranking, 89up was named the top consultancy for ESG-related work in the UK.
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